Potato-digger.



No. 845,239.' PATENTED FEB. 26, 1907..

- N. KELLER.

POTATO BIGGER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.'20. 1906.

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3 g y E E THE NORRIs PETERS co-, umsmuarou, n. c,

No. 845,239] PATENTBD FEB.26, 1907."

N. KELLER.

POTATO BIGGER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.20, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHBET 2.

Elma/why THE NORRIS PETERS c0 WASHINGTON, D. c.

NATHAN KELLER, OF HASTINGS, FLORIDA.

POTATO-DIGGER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 26, 1907.

Application filed August 20. 1906. Serial No. 331,358.

1'0 all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, NATHAN KELLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hastings, in the county of St. John and State of Florida,have invented new and useful Improvements in Potato-Diggers, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention is a potato-digger of that class having a shovel, anendless-belt carrier, and a cylindrical rotary screen, in which theshovel lifts the potatoes from the ground and the carrier conveys thematerial to the screen, the dirt being dislodged from the potatoesduring its travel over the carrier and in the screen.

The object of the invention is to produce an improved combination of theparts named with respect to their manner of operation andsupporting-frame, the latter being so constructed that the whole machineis fairly balanced upon the axle.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the machine. Fig. 2- is a side elevation.Fig. 3 is a central vertical longitudinal section. Fig. 4 is a detail,in elevation, showing an adjustable hanger.

The machine is mounted upon the axle 6 between two main wheels 7, thesupportingframe consisting of side bars 8, connected by cross-bars 9 and10. The side bars 8 are preferably bent or brought toward each other atthe front ends, where they are connected to the tongue 11 by a suitablecasting. The main axle 6 iinds its bearings in the side bars, betweenthe ends thereof. The frame may conveniently and cheaply be made ofangle-iron.

The shovel 13 is carried somewhat in advance of the line of the axle,being attached at each side to the front ends of thrust-bars 14, whichare pivotally connected at their rear ends, as at 15, to the rear endsof strainbars 16, which are pivotally connected at 17 to depending lugs18 on the under side of the side bars 8, at or about the front endsthereof. The pull is thus transmitted'from the tongue and frame throughthe bars 16 and 14 to the shovel.

The shovel is raised or lowered and supported in adjusted position bymeans of links 19, connected to arms 20, projecting from a rock-shaft21, which is carried in brackets 22 on the side bars of the frame, oneof said brackets being extended and formed into a notched segment 23,which receives the latch of a latch-lever 24, projecting from therockshaft. By manipulation of the lever the shovel is raised or loweredin an obvious manher' The bars 16 are supported near their rear ends byhangers 25, bolted to the cross-bar 9, a series of bolt-holes beingprovided, as indicated at 26, so that the hangers may be made longer orshorter, and the bars 16 accordingly raised or lowered. It will be seenthat by this construction the angle of the strainbars 16 with respect tothe frame may be altered, and also the angle of the thrust-bars 14 withrespect to the strain-bars 16, which allows the conveyer and shovel tobe set at a suitable inclination according to the nature of the groundand the crop or other local conditions.

The conveyer 27 consists of an endless belt of spaced rods, travelingaround sprockets or rollers 28 just behind the shovel and sprockets 29at therear ends of the bars 14. These latter sprockets are carried by ashaft 30, which finds bearings in the rear ends of said bars 14 andwhich has upon one end thereof a sprocket 31, driven by a chain belt 32from a sprocket 33, which is mounted upon a short shaft 34, which hasapinion 35, mesh-' ing with a gear 36 on the main axle 6. The

potatoes and other material are confined on the conveyer by shields 37of sheet-iron or the like, attached to the hangers 25 and the bars 16.

The rotary screen consists of a series of rods38, arranged to form acylinder and set in rings 39. These rings and the screen are carried byangular arms 40, projecting from the rear end of a shaft 41, whichextends lengthwise of the machine and is carried in bearings on thecross-pieces 9 and 10, and this shaft has at its front end a bevel-gear42, meshing with a bevel-gear 43 on the main shaft 6, whereby saidscreen is driven. The shaft 41 and arms 40 may conveniently be formed ofpipe joined by T and elbow connections, and the arms are located at therear of or behind the screen, so as not to interfere with the deliverythereto of the material from the conveyer. The parts are so arrangedthat the material delivered from the conveyer drops into the screen,which by its rotation clears the dirt from the potatoes and allows thelatter to fall in a row onto the ground behind the machine.

As will be seen, the shovel and conveyer are located under the axle andmain frame by bars and hangers depending therefrom. The balance is suchthat the whole machine can be supported on two wheels, and thereforereadily turned at the row ends and without great Weight on the team. Thedraft on the shovel is transmitted mainly through the strain and thrustbars. A seat 45 is conveniently mounted upon the frame at the rear endof the tongue in convenient position to manage the team and operate thelever 24.

1. In a potato-digger, in combination, a Wheeled axle, an upper framemounted at about itsmiddle thereon, strain-bars on each side, pivotallyconnected at their front ends to the frame in front of the axle andsupported at their rear ends by hangers connected to the frame behindthe axle, the hangers being vertically adjustable to vary the anglebetween the frame and the strainbars, thrust-bars pivoted to the rearends of the strain-bars and extending forwardly, a shovel and conveyercarried by the thrustbars, and a supporting and adjusting connectionbetween the frame and the front end of the thrust-bars.

2. In a potato-digger, in combination,\a wheeled axle, an upper framemounted between its ends thereon, strain-bars on each side, pivotallyconnected at their front ends to the frame in front of the axle andextending rearwardly under the axle, verticallyadjustable hangersconnected'between the frame and the said bars behind the axle,thrustbars pivoted to the rear ends of the strain-bars and extendingforwardly therefrom under the axle, a lifting-lever on the portingconnection to the front ends of the thrust-bars, and a shovel andconveyer carried by the thrust-bars.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

I NATHAN KELLER.

frame in front of the axle and having a sup- 7

